


Sheith Thumbelina au

by AlexysRosenberg



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26127091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexysRosenberg/pseuds/AlexysRosenberg
Summary: Sheith Thumbelina au, the Don Bluth version.Shiro is the little love sprouted from the flower good witch Allura gave as a gift. Keith is the charming prince of the Fairies, who fell in love the moment he heard Shiro singing.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 12





	Sheith Thumbelina au

Once upon a time,

there was a lonely young woman who lived on a farm in the countryside. The woman longed to have a child of her own, and it was this intense longing that prompted her to seek help of the magical kind. The good witch Allura gave the woman a single grain of barley.

"Plant it and take care of it with love, and see what happens." Allura recommended to Romelle.

So it was that in a short time a single Juniberry flower blossomed in the small vase on the windowsill and inside it, asleep among the petals, was a tiny figurine, a boy with deep dark eyes and a bright and innocent smile. No taller than an thumb, the boy wore a poofy-sleeved blouse and an aqua green waistcoat, sky-colored pantaloons with ruffled edges and ballet flats to match the waistcoat. A single strand of his very long hair, gathered into a high ponytail, starting from his forehead and continuing along the entire length of the locks, was white as talc, shining with a pale light, reminiscent of the Milky Way in the sky as it flowed amongst his hair as black as the moonless night. Romelle gave him the name of Shiro.

Soon the new family found a comfortable routine. Shiro, enterprising and eager, gladly helped his mother in the chores that the farm required, especially he loved feeding the chicks normally bullied by the other hens, and detached the fruits from the branches with which Romelle made delicious pies. It soon became clear, however, that Shiro's size stood in the way of the boy's wishes. Despite his handsome physique, his height prevented him from making any particularly significant effort, he could not sweep the yard or fill the trough with water from the well, he could not mow the wheat despite seeing how much it weighed on his mother at the end of the day. He had once tried to pull weeds with the aid of a rudimentary self-made flint blade, but the stalk of the dandelion had turned out to be a more challenging opponent than he imagined, and the scar running through his nose and cheeks was an indelible reminder of his failure. These limitations, combined with the fact that apart from him there was no one else of the same size who could empathize with his problems, gave birth to a melancholy that began to deprive the child of the cheerfulness that characterized him, giving rise to different complexes around his own existence.

When evening came Romelle loved to read bedtime stories to her child, she was about to tell about the brave creature who had defeated the evil wizard who terrorized the kingdom when-

"Oh mother, aren't there stories about little people?" the boy asked with an exasperation not too hidden in his voice, sitting astride the woman's nose.

"To tell the truth, yes they exist" she smiled at him and leafed through the pages of the storybook until she came to a double illustration.

On one of them stood a house carved out of a mushroom and with wooden stairs outside that led to the upper floor, with a young man with a good-natured smile standing on them in colorful clothes and a sword at his side. Shiro widened his eyes and threw himself into the void, landing on the pages of the book and ran towards the drawing.

"So they do exist!" exclaimed excitedly "But ... what are those?" he pointed to the pair of wings that the drawn knight wore on his back.

"Those, my love, are wings. He is a fairy, like them," his mother pointed to the illustration on the opposite page, where a couple of fairies were getting married.  
"These are the prince and the fairy princess, they crowned their love with a beautiful wedding"

"And will they live happily ever after?" Shiro asked with emotion and amazement, observing them.

"Yes, of course!" Romelle answered with a chuckle, triggering a smile in her son who unfortunately soon left his face.

"Mother, have you ever seen a fairy?" he murmured sitting on the edge of the book, his legs suspended in the air.

"Maybe once, I think I saw one but I'm not sure," she replied, observing with concern her son's growing gloom.

"I guess it's easier to find someone to crown your dream of love with, if it's the same size as you" he sighed softly "There is no one like me, sometimes I wish I wasn't so small." he admitted bitterly, lifting his legs to hug his knees.

"Oh no Shiro, no" Romelle took him in one hand, lifting his face with a resigned expression "Never wish to be anything other than what you are. All you need is inside you" she touched the young man's chest , with a reassuring smile. "I think it's time to go to bed," she said softly, and Shiro nodded obediently.

"Mother, can you leave the book open? I would like to look at the pictures while I fall asleep," Shiro asked, slipping under the covers of the bed made from the solid shell of a large walnut.

"Of course my love" Romelle granted him, placing the book standing on the table near the window, so that the moonlight could illuminate the illustrations for him "Goodnight, Shiro"

"Goodnight, mother" Shiro pretended to go to sleep, but when Romelle was out of the room he slipped out of the covers and reached the pages again.

The now familiar melancholy enveloped him again as he touched the figures on the pages, so similar to him and yet so far away, as if he were denied the experiences they lived without limitations. It was a feeling so heavy, frustrating and suffocating that often, if he let it take over, he felt his throat tighten and his breath fail. When it did, he'd found that singing took away those unpleasant sensations and left his mind free. Thus, Shiro began to sing, his incredibly melodious voice spreading in the starry night of late summer, expressing all his desire to find someone to share his life with, who understood all his difficulties in living in a world not fit for such a small person.

Shiro sang oblivious to the fact that on the same night his melody was spreading, a solemn parade of fairies was taking place. It was tradition for the royals of the Fairy Court to hold a parade at the beginning of autumn to contribute to the change of seasons, specifically they would have gilded the leaves giving nature that warm and welcoming aspect typical of the period. The king and queen of the fairies, Tex and Krolia, aboard a chariot pulled by moths, spread their magic in the air in small delicate glitters, not unlike the light of the fireflies, in a long trail that gently crossed the woods and the fields of the countryside. Krolia took the opportunity to admire the landscape, when she gasped on the spot.

"Ugh, not again," she snapped, shaking her head in disapproval.

"What's going on, my darling?" Tex took advantage of the distraction to run his hand through his wife's purple hair.

"Keith ran away again" she said, the tone of someone who was now used to the thing "Definitely hanging out with Kosmo"

"Let him have fun, Krolia" Tex chuckled, sweetly amused observing Keith's official mount, without its rider "You know very well that these official parades bore him"

"It's not a valid reason to skip them all" she shook her head again "It will be his job sooner or later to conduct these ceremonies, it's good that he learns his duties"

Keith was, at that moment, far from his duties. Straddling Kosmo, his black and blue carpenter bee, flying in the night making evolutions among the flowers and leaves of the slowly gilding trees. His maneuvers brought him near a farm from which came a very sweet melody. He walked as quietly as possible to the slightly open multicolored glass window and looked at his own reflection before he could make out the source of the voice. The black hair ruffled by the wind with the long braid on the back reaching his hips and the deep violet eyes inherited from his mother that illuminated the charming face of the fairy prince, the black and purple suit, the colors of their house, was incredibly wrinkle free despite the reckless flying. He moved his wings on his back releasing thin silver luminous particles into the air, moving beyond the window frame finally seeing Shiro for the first time, distracted and intent on dancing with an invisible partner in front of the figures of the two royals in the book. Keith was stunned to see the blissful smile on the other's face, the long black hair flecked with white fluttering in the dance steps, the soft giggles escaping his full lips as he playfully pretended to flirt with the knight in front of his mansion. He believed for a moment that his heart would stop, it had started to beat so fast. He hid between the pages of the book, advancing more and more towards that wondrous vision, so wonderful and unexpected, observing and waiting for the right moment for ... what? To come forward? It wasn't like him to be hesitant like that, what was happening to him?

"You are so charming" he heard Shiro chuckle, directed to the page behind which Keith was hiding, and for a moment he feared that he had been discovered "I would like to invite you, one of these days" continued the boy talking to the drawn knight.  
Keith took a deep breath and with a pirouette in the air, he drew his sword from its sheath in a faint violet glow and came out of its hiding place.

"Do you mind if I accept?" he began with the most charming smile he was capable of.

Shiro, who at that moment was with his back to him performing a dance step, gasped terribly and turned quickly as a bolt, his face pale and twisted with concern and surprise.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you," Keith replied, landing in a cloud of silver sparkles, placing the sword back in its scabbard.

"You didn't scare me" Shiro answered hesitantly, observing the mysterious intruder with growing interest "Only taken by surprise" he pretended bravado as his heartbeat continued to pound his chest "Who are you?" he asked in a more formal tone, observing every detail of the young man's face and clothing in front of him, with a slender but athletic build emphasized by the tights, the elegant decorations of the tunic and the violet hue of his eyes in which sparks released from his wings danced , and the wings themselves, of course!

"My name is Keith and-"

"You're a fairy! Just like them!" Shiro didn't give him time to finish and ran to the pages of the book, pointing to the figures in the illustration.

Keith joined him, he was just a head shorter than Shiro but his bearing compensated for the difference in height and tonnage, and stroked the wings drawn on the sheet. "That's right" he nodded delicately, smiling at Shiro and his enthralling enthusiasm.

"Mom was right then, you really do exist" Shiro murmured with pure and untouched innocence in his eyes, returning Keith the smile "I am Shiro!"

"And tell me, is it true that there is a Court of Fairies?" Shiro asked taking that step that bridged the distance between them, now practically non-existent.

"Oh yes" confirmed Keith, moving his wings and arms to gesticulate delicately, for more emphasis "With a King and a Queen" he pointed to the two figures on Shiro's storybook, making the boy's face light up.

"There must also be a prince, then" Shiro reflected, wandering with his imagination.

Keith, surprised, realized that nothing in his appearance betrayed him as the prince, and that he had no reason to announce himself as such.  
He always feared that the judgment of others would be altered by his birth status, and it was among the many reasons why he did not like to take part in official ceremonies.

"Yes, there is a prince at the Court," he answered only, looking for Shiro's eyes with his own.

"Oh, he must be terribly handsome" Shiro intertwined their eyes, captivated by the charm and mystery of the boy, and incredibly attracted by the happiness that having found other people like him had given him. His heart began to beat in his chest with enthusiasm, no longer out of fear but out of affection.

"So they say," Keith replied, just biting his lip as he got even closer to Shiro, enraptured by the spell that boy seemed to have cast on him.

"I would like to meet him, one day" Shiro swallowed, half closing his eyes, in turn consuming that distance between them in a desire for contact, for meeting, for love.

"I could let you." Keith reached out to wrap his hands around Shiro's waist, finally drawing him to their lips in that kiss they both wanted, when Shiro jumped back, startled by the sudden hum coming from the window.

"What was that ??" he looked around fearfully.

"Ah, tch" Keith replied, snapping his tongue annoyed, the spell suddenly vanished "it's Kosmo, my mount. He doesn't like to stay still in one place for too long" Keith thought that the moment was now ruined, but unexpectedly Shiro took him by the hand.

"Why didn't you say it right away? Let's go!" he dragged him with him interlacing their fingers, coming out on the small wooden sill "Oh, that's incredible!" Shiro exclaimed in delightful amazement, almost hopping on the spot.

He had never been able to see such an insect up close, the flowers were too tall for him to climb.

"I have an idea" Keith smiled at him, flanking Kosmo "Would you like to take a ride?" he winked at him making the boy blush delicately.

"Really, now?" he asked reaching him without hesitation, getting help to climb on the back of the insect.

"Hold on tight!" Kosmo left without hesitation, barely giving Shiro time to burst into enthusiastic laughter and grab onto Keith's waist.

It was all beautiful, Shiro was beautiful and Keith was happy as ever, love flowing into his chest as powerful as the greatest of spells. Keith flew him through the countryside that was his home but that Shiro had never been able to explore and at the first opportunity they left Kosmo free to fly wherever he wanted so that Keith could take Shiro by the hand and dance with him, for real. Their dance took them to a pumpkin patch and to touch the surface of the water of a nearby pond, where they caressed the feathers of the swans and the leaves of the water lily. Keith did not miss a chance and covered Shiro with all those feelings that he had not received up to that moment, he told him how beautiful he was and his heart was big and pure, full of that love that both felt born from love at first sight of which Shiro until then had only read, and that he had never imagined could happen to him. Thus it was, dancing and whispering their feelings of devotion to each other that they reached the center of the pond, where a family of toads had their home. Shiro, now hopelessly happy to see how the moon had listened to his song and had granted his wish, did not pay attention to the fact that their loving picture had new spectators. The creatures of the countryside had witnessed their demonstration of love and were fascinated by it, they loved and respected the fairy prince and joined them to congratulate. Shiro was given a necklace made with Forget-me-not and to thank everyone, he sang for them. At the end of the performance he threw small kisses with his fingers towards the spectators. One of these kisses was directed, unintentionally, to one of the toads who lived nearby, and this was enough, combined with Shiro's appearance and his singing ability, for the toad to fall madly in love with him.

"I'm in love with him" Sendak confessed to his mother Haggar as the two lovers took off again, headed for Shiro's house, giving birth to a malicious intent in the woman.

Upon reaching the wooden sill with Kosmo, Keith helped Shiro down.

"I'm so happy, it was all so wonderful!" Shiro exclaimed almost circling from the ground "I wish this night would never end"

"You can take all the good memories of today with you," Keith encouraged him.

"Oh yes, I'll never forget them!" he exclaimed, his gaze sweet as he looked at Keith "And I won't forget you" saying so, he took off the necklace he received as a gift and put it around Keith's neck, a small token of devotion.

"I'll never forget you too." Keith stroked his own fingers, removing from one of them a simple silver ring with a purple stone in the center, the same color as Keith's eyes, and slipping it into Shiro's ring finger in a promise of love "Never"

"Never ever" Shiro whispered back, slightly lowering his head mimicking the desire that had caught both of them while they were in front of the book, for a delicate kiss.

Keith started to bridge the gap, lips slightly parted for each other to ki- .

"KEITH" Krolia's voice spread through the countryside, thundering and menacing "KEITH"

"W-who is it?" Shiro asked, confused.

"Oh no! Quick, hide!" Keith took his hand and ran with him into the room, staying hidden behind the window frames and peeking through the stained glass as the parade of fairies passed right in front of Shiro's house. "That's the queen of the fairies. My mother" Keith rolled his eyes.

"Your mother? Oh" Shiro nodded slowly "Wait, but then that means you're-"

"KEITH" Krolia thundered again.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go" Keith bit his lip, mournful "But hmm, how about meeting my parents tomorrow?" he offered him in a pinch.

"Tomorrow?" Shiro stammered "Meeting your parents, when are you the ... tomorrow?" he murmured in confusion.

"Yes, tomorrow" Keith smiled at him, even more in love "Yes, I'm the prince and-"

"KEITH" Tex's voice joined the queen's.

"Argh! Please say yes!" Keith urged, one foot already out the window.

"I uhm well, yes! Yes, of course I want to! So you can meet my mother!" Shiro replied with a smile pushing him out the window "Now go though!"

"Tomorrow" Keith repeated, his face bright at Shiro's answer "Tomorrow morning, I'll come back for you" he climbed on Kosmo's back, ready to go, bent down in a last attempt to kiss Shiro but there was no way, Kosmo rocketed exhorted by the voices of the royals "See you tomorrow!" Keith repeated for the last time, his voice disappearing with his silver light in the dark of night.

"Oh, Keith" Shiro sighed softly, observing the starry sky for a few more minutes, before returning to his room and getting into his bed, eager as ever for the arrival of dawn. 

It was the middle of the night when Haggar managed to reach the window of the bedroom where Shiro was sleeping, his expression blissful, dreaming of Keith. She didn't hesitate in the least to close the nutshell on itself, trapping the boy inside.

"What's happening??" Shiro woke up suddenly, feeling his bed move "Help, help mother!" he called desperately, unable to free himself.

As she slipped the walnut into the stream that would lead them back to the toad house, Haggar knocked the woody surface against the house walls several times. Shiro, inside his prison, hit his head on one of these occasions, passing out. As everything around him went black and silent, his last thoughts went to his mother and Keith. As the sun came, Romelle discovered the absence of her son's bed and with it, Shiro himself. The wide open window made her believe that something had happened, and nothing could stop her from sinking into deep despair at having lost her beloved child. When Keith returned, laden with gifts and wearing the official helmet of royal armor (at his mother's insistence), the same desperation gripped him. He discovered after some research that Shiro had been kidnapped by a toad and with renewed determination, he set off in search of him.

Shiro sat up, stretching gently to ward off the numbness of sleep, oblivious to the events that occurred during the night. When he heard Haggar's voice, he gasped as he tried to cover himself with the blankets.

"Ah, well awake," the woman greeted him with a tired smile on her face.

"Where am I?" Shiro began to look around.

"In our house in the pond, we saw your show last night and we want you to start singing for us!" the woman pointed to the other toads present, including Sendak who was watching Shiro, predatory.

"Thanks but hmm, i'm not interested" he got out of bed, trying to figure out where he could escape from "I have to go home, my mother will be terribly worried"

"Oh no, on the contrary, your mother will be very proud when you become a big star" replied the woman, stopping him.

"B-big?" the boy murmured "You mean..." he let his hand go towards the sky, to indicate an increase in height, the woman's words had brought back those complexes that he believed the meeting with Keith had dulled.

"I mean important, and recognized!" the woman corrected him "You have impressive qualities and we want to make a champion out of you"

"Oh" Shiro nodded "I don't want to then, Keith loves me for who I am, I don't need anything else. I'll marry him" at his words Sendak seemed to get more aggressive, and Haggar shook his head.

"And what can this Keith do for you that you can't do alone? Why marry someone who would be just a ball and chain, a burden?" she snapped his fingers. "Get a demonstration of your talent." Haggar grabbed him and pushed him into a room that looked like some sort of arena, or an open circular theater. Gradually various creatures of the pond took their places on either side of the room, as if waiting for something.

"Sing Shiro, come on!" the woman, now at his side, exerted it.

Shiro didn't want to in the least, he just wanted to go home, but if he would please them, maybe they would let him go. So he sang as he had done the previous night, and got the same thunderous success, they loved hearing his voice.

"See, Shiro? They adore you," the woman murmured.

"W-well maybe it's not that bad," Shiro replied, overwhelmed by the applause and recognition of the audience.

"Great" Haggar nodded "It means you'll marry Sendak, and you'll be able to sing for us all your life"

"What?" shocked, Shiro turned to Sendak, whose triumphant smile made him shiver "Absolutely not, I'll marry Keith!"

"Everything has already been decided, my dear" Haggar smiled wickedly, making the house move revealing to be a docked boat "You just have to stay good here, waiting" Sendak grabbed him, put him on his shoulder and left him on a passing water lily leaf , away from the mainland.

"Hey, stop! I said I don't want to!" Shiro watched them in frustration as they disappeared from view along the river leading from the pond.

"It was all a deception" Shiro sat on the leaf, his arms crossed over the chest "And now I'm trapped, I can't swim" he leaned out to look at the bottom of the pond, but the murky water prevented him "M-mmh" he looked around with growing desperation "Help, help! Can anyone hear me? Help me!"

A young swift was just passing by when he heard the call for help, and flew to Shiro in small descending spirals.

"Hey man, are you okay?" the swift asked him "My name is Matt, what's wrong with you?"

"I-I'm Shiro" he took a deep breath to calm down, seeing that someone had answered his plea "A family of toads have kidnapped me and now I'm trapped here, I can't swim. Could you help me?"

"Nothing easier!" he said with a smile, diving under the water and breaking the stem that held the water lily leaf anchored to the bottom "There, does this help?" he emerged leaning on one of the reeds, taking to preen his wet feathers.

"Perfect! Thank you very much!" as the leaf began to float around the pond, Shiro grabbed a stick that protruded from the water and used it as a pivot to push the leaf towards the mainland, not without difficulty due to the currents leading to the waterfalls, but still succeeding.

"Hey, boy, are you all right?" a trio of people approached Shiro, two boys and a younger girl "We heard your request for help" said the heavier boy, waving to Matt as he landed next to Shiro, as if he knew him.

"Yes, thank you very much" Shiro said gratefully "My name is Shiro, and I was kidnapped by the family of toads who live in a boat that was anchored not far away" he explained as he tried to wring out the wet clothes as best he could "Matt helped me to escape, if he didn't they would have forced me to marry one of them, but I don't want to! I want to marry Prince Keith" he said, exasperated by the situation.

"Are you and the fairy prince engaged?" the young girl asked him "I'm Pidge, and this is Lance and Hunk. We saw you last night."

Shiro blushed violently "W-well he hasn't officially asked me to marry him" he stammered "B-but I should have met his parents this morning and oh" he sighed softly "Mom will be so worried, I absolutely have to go home. The problem is I don't have any idea of where I am "

"Don't worry Shiro, we'll help you get home!" Lance offered.

"Really? Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you very much!" Shiro was moved by the good heart of these people, especially after the bad experience he just had.

"What do you say if in the meantime I go to the Valley of the Fairies, to warn the prince of what has happened?" Matt asked, as they all walked together in what was likely the direction of Shiro's house.

"Would you really? But I have no idea where this place is!" Shiro murmured.

"Don't worry mate, I'll find it and bring you your prince!" with a last smile he took off, leaving Shiro in the hands of his three new friends "You'll see, we'll solve everything!" he disappeared from view as Shiro yelled his thanks.

"Keith" Krolia called his son to attention, interrupting his march back and forth through the throne room "Last night you came home like a fury, announcing to the entire court that you have found the man of your dreams, and you'd like us to believe he has vanished into thin air now?

"Kidnapped, mother! Shiro was kidnapped by a family of toads" he explained fervently "And I need you and father to do everything possible to slow down the coming of winter, Shiro is still out there and I have to go find him! "He didn't even give them time to answer him, he jumped on Kosmo's back and took off.

"Keith, stop!" Krolia tried to stop him, too late "Oh Tex, what can we do?" she whispered, her voice heavy with concern "We can't put off the frost, except for a single day"

"Leave me alone," Sendak snarled with grim intimidation to the other toads present.

Since Shiro's escape, he had spent his time regretting not insisting they took him with them. Soon, however, the thought that Shiro would soon be returning home and that he would never see him again became unbearable. With an aggressive growl, he went after him.

Shiro was his.

"Maybe from that tree I'd be able to see where my house is," Shiro muttered pointing to the huge oak tree in front of them, colossally tall as it soared against the blue sky.

"But it's so tall, how are we going to—" Pidge started to protest when a shadow fell over them, startling them.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" a white-haired beetle with pale lilac skin landed in front of them, blocking the path "Oooh toots, but you are such a splendor!" he reached out to Shiro's hand, squeezing it enthusiastically.

"I'm ... not your toots?" Shiro took back his hand, moving it away "My name is Shiro"

"Shiro, huh? Well toots, I'm Lotor, extraordinary dancer, itinerant artist but above all" he grabbed Shiro by the hips, forcing him to do a pirouette "a lover of beautiful things"

"Very pleased" Shiro replied with a certain sarcasm, seeing in Lotor's behavior the same disrespect received from Haggar.

"How about it toots, would you like to spend some time together?" Lotor started kissing him on the hand.

"I'm not your toots, and I'm flattered, really" escaped that form of torture "But I'm already promised to Prince Keith, so if you want to excuse us ..."

"Ohw, what's the hurry, sweetheart? I don't see any prince around" he asked adjusting his top hat and leaning his weight on the walking stick "I love the sound of your voice, I bet you're very good at singing" he tried to flatter him.

"I'm going home," he explained, then suddenly stopped, seeing a possibility "But if, you know, I sang for you, would you do me a favor?"

"It depends toots, usually my favors cost a lot" he replied interested.

"You can fly, could you take me up there?" he pointed to the top of the oak "So I could tell if I'm on the correct direction to go home" Lotor looked suspicious for a moment, he stroked his chin silently evaluating the thing "I'll sing for you" Shiro reminded him with a smile.

"Oh yes toots, you will sing, but you will sing for me at the beetle ball!" without giving him time to protest, Lotor put him on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and took off, leaving Shiro's three friends completely stunned.

"Let me go!" he yelled, punching him on the back with his fists.

"I don't think you want me to toots, look down," he replied with a laugh as they flew over the fields to what looked like a cave entrance, transparent crystals reflecting sunlight into it.

"Oh no, Shiro was kidnapped! Let's go get help!" Pidge, Lance and Hunk ran back to the pond.

The cave was divided into smaller caves, arranged in such a way that they formed various rooms and above all, a huge stage lit by the same crystals seen at the entrance. Had he been able to enjoy the view under other circumstances, Shiro would have loved the place. Instead, he was pushed inside what used to be an artists' dressing room and provided an elaborate costume to wear.

"I don't even look like an beetle, why do you want me to perform?" he had asked in frustration, and those clothes were the answer.

Once he was forced into them he had a chance to see his reflection in one of the crystals. The breeches he wore were wide and gathered at the knee, and while puffy they were too tight for him, as was the elaborate high nrck shirt and tailcoat, all in a palette of white, red, yellow and blue.,with decorations that resembled the eyes of a butterfly's wings. The same wings, albeit fake, that had been secured to his back. They were rigid and transparent, in the same palette as the suit and above all of that, a peculiar helmet that not only hid his hair and his scar, but recalled the head of a real butterfly, complete with large and twirling antennae. Again, Shiro found himself thinking that if it had happened in other circumstances, he would have gladly admired this uncomfortable and elaborate costume. But there was no time and before he could realize it, Shiro was in the center of the stage, listening to the compliments on his appearance and his beauty that the audience did not spare. At least they hadn't forced him to sing, he told himself, as he moved around the stage following Lotor in a choreography he didn't know, and which confused him a lot. He did his best though, hoping that once the performance was over, Lotor would lead him to the oak to find out where his home was. This, combined with the fact that the audience again seemed to love one of his performances, almost made Shiro forget that being on that stage was the least of his wishes. Until the first tear. Not even the music of the band could cover the sound of fabric giving way at the seams, and ripping violently. Without being able to prevent it, the jacket fell off him and with it, the wings and all the headgear, leaving him totally exposed in the torso. His attempt to recover them was of no avail, if not to make the seams of his trousers give way as well, leaving him wearing only that pair of deep red underwear shorts. A sound of disgust spread through the cave and suddenly Shiro felt dangerously exposed, he tried to cover himself with his arms but could not avoid the mocking laughter and epithets of disgust he was receiving. Lotor decided to finish off the entire show, with a deeply disappointed expression on his face.

"Sorry toots, apparently you are just too ugly for me"

Shiro looked at him, confused, as he was thrown back into the dressing room so he could get dressed "I'm ugly?"

The question accompanied him the whole time as he dressed and escaped secretly from the cave, finding no way out, instead finding himself trapped on the branch of an adjacent tree. Unaware of all this, Pidge, Lance and Hunk were by now at the pond and calling for help for Shiro when they found themselves facing Sendak.

"So, Shiro needs help, yeah? What happened to him?" He asked threateningly.

"Lotor kidnapped him," Lance replied before Hunk could stop him.

"Lotor, huh?" he dismissed them with an annoyed gesture, before resuming hismarch. "Interesting" 

Shiro had been sitting on that branch for hours now, to the point that the sun was now setting, the mood deriving from his situation only emphasized by the cold he felt because of the light clothes and the hunger that he had not satisfied for long. Only the arrival of Matt, who was passing by on his search mission, managed to make him smile.

"What happened, Shiro?" he asked, sitting down beside him.

"Lotor forced me to perform" he murmured "He told me I'm ugly"

"Pfft, nonsense" Matt shook his wings, irritated "Are you in love with Lotor?"

"What? Of course not!" he answered quickly.

"Then why do you care what he thinks?" he snorted softly "Aren't you in love with Keith? Does Keith find you ugly too?

Shiro blushed delicately "No, Keith says I'm beautiful"

"Because you are" he made him turn to some drops of water trapped in the moss on the bark, and made Shiro look at his reflection "Do you see it?"

Shiro smiled delicately, the reflection returning the same sweetness.

"I do. Thanks Matt" thanked his friend, having regained some confidence thanks to him "Tomorrow I'll go home"

"And I will find the Valley of the Fairies for you. But for now" he settled next to him, wrapping him with a wing "let's sleep"

"Goodnight Matt" Shiro snuggled up to his friend, reassured at least for that evening, that things could take a better turn, safe from the cold of the now looming winter.

As Shiro and Matt's journey continued, at the end of autumn Keith reached the community where Pidge, Lance and Hunk lived. Upon recognizing him, they immediately informed him of Shiro's kidnapping, and Keith bravely set off again, despite the cold winds making Kosmo's flight and the search for his beloved terribly difficult.

"What do you mean you DON'T KNOW?" Sendak growled as he held Lotor by the throat.

"It means I have no idea!" the beetle freed himself, stroking the injured part. "What do you want me to tell you? He was terribly ugly, and I left him to his fate."

The punch that landed on Lotor's face was unexpectedly violent, even for an angry guy like Sendak "Shiro is beautiful" he simply snarled, watching Lotor fall to the ground, trying to recover from the blow.

"Ok, ok, like you said" he sighed, massaging his face "That doesn't change things, Shiro said he would go home, he was babbling about a wedding with the fairy prince and things like that" Lotor suddenly had an idea "Why, instead of running after him, you don't let him come to you? He is in love with this Keith, isn't he? Kidnap him and he will come to you without hesitation" Lotor proposed.

"I have a better idea" with a sadistic smile, he grabbed Lotus by the cover of the exoskeleton and tore off his wings without damaging them.  
"What do you think you are doing?" Lotor cried in shock.

"You sound like a resourceful guy, bring me the fairy prince as you proposed and you will get your wings back," he replied with a perverse pleasure in his voice, forcing Lotor to obey without further hesitation.

The frost had come, whether Keith wanted it or not, and with it the winds had gotten stronger, the air colder, and the fog so thick it didn't allow him to see anything. It was in these conditions, during a hailstorm, that he was hit and thrown away from Kosmo. To no avail of his courage and determination, or the loyalty of the mount, Keith's wings did not cushion his fall into the now frozen stream, which became his prison, Shiro's gift necklace destroyed by the cold breeze and deadly waters. It was in these conditions that Lotor and his collaborators found him, by pure stroke of luck, and extracted him from a captivity that would otherwise have condemned him to have to wait until spring to be able to continue looking for his beloved.

Shiro wandered lost in the now completely snow-covered countryside, his clothes unsuitable for the climate completely torn and ruined by the continuous falls that the frozen ground reserved for him. He was so tired, and he felt so alone, that he gratefully welcomed the sight of what was left of an old boot. He holed up inside, safe from the cold wind, and found a sock in which he wrapped himself without hesitation.

"Matt was wrong." Shiro whispered, scared and hopeless "I'll never go home again", barely holding back the tears, he lay down thinking about his mother, wondering if she was okay, and if she was thinking about him too.

His mother was thinking of him just then, as she reluctantly closed that window from which he had been kidnapped, which she had left open every day until now, in the hope that her baby would return to her. In the cradle that the woman had made when she wanted to have a child, lay a small sweater in a delicate yellow color, which the woman had crocheted, troubled by the thought that Shiro was out there, with nothing to protect him from the cold. Watching the snowflakes fall, Romelle prayed to them that Shiro could soon return home, so that her broken heart could heal.

Shiro did not realize that he could no longer hear the angry howl of the wind, or the pungent grip of the cold, he felt only a soft warmth and the sweet scent of cooked carrots. When he opened his eyes, it was bare earth walls that welcomed him, and a miniature kitchen, the perfect size for him, he found himself thinking.

"Oh, you're awake" the voice belonged to a country mouse, who smiled at him as she handed him a mug of hot tea.

"What ... what happened?" he asked, taking the mug in his hands.

"Such a silly question, I saved you, fool! Did you really think you could survive the winter in that old shoe? You're in my den now, underground. I'm Sanda" the mouse went back to her soup and the corn cakes she had in the oven .

"I just wanted ... to rest. I'm trying to go home" Shiro explained in a dull voice, now mentally exhausted "I'm thankful for your help"

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait to get home, Shiro, at least until spring!"

"How do you know my name?" he asked, curious in spite of himself.

"Oh, I know a lot more than your name, dear. I know, for example, that you and Prince Keith are engaged," the woman chuckled.

"Well, almost," he whispered, stroking the ring he still wore on his finger.

"A pity about what happened, so young and brave, died like that in the frozen stream," the woman sighed, then jumped in place when the cup Shiro was holding shattered on the ground.

"...died?" Shiro said in an almost inaudible whisper, blanching.

"O-oh no my dear, forgive me, I thought you knew!" the woman apologized "It happened a few days ago and-" she never finished the sentence, interrupted by Shiro's excruciating screams of pain, able to overcome that meter that separated them from the surface and reach the ears of Lotor, who was still looking for him, and he began to eavesdrop on the chimney.

"Come on dear, you are still young and beautiful, you will find someone else" she said as if to reassure him, but Shiro was deaf to every word. Keith was gone, dead while out looking for him, he was sure of it. He wondered if all of this could have been avoided somehow. Seeing how her words weren't reaching him, Sanda wrapped him in a warm shawl and handed him a basket full of sweet pastries.

"Come, accompany me to my neighbor, Mr. Curtis. He is a lover of art and beautiful things, and I heard that you have a wonderful voice, I would like you to sing for him."

"I don't feel much like it," he replied simply, jis world now completely distorted behind that veil of tears.

"Don't feel like it? After all I've done for you?" the mouse scolded.

"O-okay" Shiro conceded, now without the strength to fight back, following her silently after wiping his tears and looking towards that door that he imagined lead outside, as if to say goodbye to that life he had known in which there had been Keith, his only love.

The tunnel leading to Curtis' lair went deeper than Sanda's, and was filled with unimaginable riches, buried treasures and legacies of fallen and forgotten kingdoms. Curtis, a mole with an insignificant and anonymous personality, welcomed them warmly, albeit recommending not to touch anything as everything they saw belonged to him.

"I brought a guest with me today Mr. Curtis. His name is Shiro, and he comes from 'up there'" the mouse explained as Shiro politely handed the man the basket of sweets.

"'Up there'? What an awful place, full of songbirds and that hateful sun, yuck," the man replied with disgust.

"Oh, but I love the sun" Shiro tried to debate but without success, finding himself forced to listen to a soliloquy from Curtis about how much better it was to live underground, where everything was cold and dark.

"Shiro" Sanda suddenly began, interrupting the neighbor's speech "Why don't you tell us a story? A beautiful tragic love story. You know, Mr. Curtis, Shiro has a lovely voice!"

"Oh, hmm alright" he didn't even try to object, sitting on what looked like a gold jewelry box decorated with precious gems. Shiro sang about the sun and how its light was beautiful, happy and reassuring, how it shone on his life with a warmth similar to that of his love, which had made him joyful and made him feel part of the world for the first time, of how then winter had come and with it, the sun had disappeared and his love had been snatched from him. He was grateful for Curtis's interruption, who resumed denigrating the sun, because he gradually felt his voice become heavier, lifeless, until it disappeared, his throat tight and breathing difficult.

"Wonderful performance, really" congratulated the man "I have a story for you too, now. Follow me"

The mole led them through a series of increasingly complex and intricate tunnels, with so many riches that Shiro wondered what had happened to the kingdoms they belonged to. It was in the burrow filled with dead insects pinned to the wall that Curtis revealed how he had found a dead bird in one of the burrows during his morning walk. Upon recognizing Matt, Shiro's heart stopped beating again.

"Matt!" he immediately ran to his friend, kneeling beside him.

"He has a big heart" Mr. Curtis commented "Sanda, listen to me, I have a proposal to make" he took advantage of Shiro's absence to turn to the woman "Do you think it would be possible to organize a wedding between me and Shiro?" the question surprised Sanda quite a bit.

"Shiro? But are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"But of course, as you know I was looking for someone to marry for a long time, and Shiro would be perfect, he could take care of me and tell me stories. And for your help in convincing him," he picked up one of the myriads of precious gems that lay everywhere, and handed it to the interlocutor "you will be generously rewarded"

"I accept!" answered the mouse without a minimum of hesitation "Oh, Shiro? Come, we have to go back, dear" she called him back.

By the time they talked, Shiro had discovered that Matt was not dead at all, just passed out and therefore unconscious.

"I'll be back tonight, I promise" he got up reluctantly, returning to the two.

"And so the prince is dead" Sendak exclaimed satisfied at the sight of Keith trapped in the ice "Very well, one less trouble"

"Can I get my wings back now?" Lotor urged him and when he got no answer, he pressed him "What if I told you I know where Shiro is, hmm?"

"Where is he?" Sendak grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"Underground, in Mr. Curtis' lair," he replied trying to free himself from his grip.

"Very well, show me where this place is and you'll get your stupid wings back," he dragged him away, unaware of the hidden presence of Pidge, Lance and Hunk who took advantage of their absence to make a commitment to thaw the prince.

Shiro took advantage of the veil of the night to return to Matt. The words of Sanda were still vivid, she had tried in every way to persuade him to marry Curtis, especially since Keith was gone. And Shiro ... Shiro had found no way to reply to those words. It was true that he didn't love Curtis, but what was love for? Love had made him happy and in less than two seasons, it had completely upset his life. All he wanted was someone who understood what it means to be so small in such a vast world. Maybe Curtis could give him what he wanted, he could live underground, if there was no room for him out there.

"Hi, Matt" he whispered to his unconscious friend, covering him with Sanda's warm shawl "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through" he said bitterly "I hope you will be happy to know that I have decided to marry Mr. Curtis. He can give me what I want and- "

"You're joking" Matt croaked, waking up from his faintness "You have to marry Keith!"

"Matt, you're okay!" he embraced the swift with contentment.

"Ouch ouch, slow down Shiro, please. I have a thorn in my wing that is killing me," he replied painfully.

"A thorn?" he noticed only then the wound on his friend's wing "Stay still and hold on!" he grabbed it and pulled it out in one smooth motion, releasing his friend from his pain. As a precaution, he kissed the wound better. "Better?" he asked him.

"Much better, I'm as good as new!" Matt deftly pulled himself to his feet, as if the injury had never been there. "I got it during a snowstorm, you know, that sent me into this tunnel" looking up, you could see the surface, and the black winter sky, from a tiny opening. "But now, I can go back to looking for Keith"

"It's not necessary, Matt" Shiro murmured sadly "Keith is-"

"Oh of course it is necessary! I will find the Valley of the Fairies and your prince!" he stated as he took off.

"Matt, no! You don't understand, it's not possible, Keith-"

"Nothing is impossible my friend! Valley of the Fairies, I'm coming!" with a bright smile he headed for the exit.

"Matt, stop, stop! Keith is ..." he watched him go, leaving him alone again, abandoned "Keith is dead"

His tears reverberated in the silent tunnels.

Not far from him, where his tears did not reach, Keith was defeating death, aided by Pidge, Lance and Hunk, and fueled by his desire to find Shiro.

Shiro took a long time to gaze into the reflection of one of the blades of a sword, conveniently put as a mirror in the room where he was preparing himself. The bubble ponytails, stiff and more antenna-like now than his hair, were already bizarre alone, but the addition of the incredibly puffy sleeved jacket, bridal veil and lace ruff was just ... too much. Of an incredibly dull gray, there was no color whatsoever except in the peculiar mushroom, certainly poisonous, of a deep purple that had been chosen as his bouquet. Was it a projection of what his life would be like from now on? Shiro bit his lip when he heard the sound of the organ being played by a huge brown spider, heralding his entry into the scene. He left the room and immediately found himself in the nave, which was nothing more than another sword, placed horizontally and on which he would have to walk, towards the fulfillment of his destiny. Shiro had a tight stomach as he walked slowly, wishing for only one thing, to have Keith by his side. He thought he saw him, among the figures in the stained glass windows that somehow let in the light of the surface, he saw him dancing in the flame of the candles scattered everywhere, but Keith was not really there. Despite his slowness, the officiant did not mind starting the ceremony when Shiro was only halfway down the aisle. Nobody really cared about him, only Keith had shown interest, loved him, and promised him he would never forget him. Looking down at the jewel he wore on his finger, the only memory he possessed of Keith, the color of the gem so similar to that of his beloved eyes, he hardly heard the question addressed to him.

"Shiro, do you take Mr. Curtis as your beloved husband?"

I'll never forget you too. Never.

Never ever.

"Never," he replied, almost without realizing it.

"Beg you pardon?" the officiant asked, confused.

"Never" Shiro repeated, out of the spell of memories, totally conscious now of his choice "I will never marry you, I don't love you!"

There was no time for those present to fully register his refusal, making the earth itself tremble Sendak broke through the roof of the tunnel, plunging into the middle of the ceremony.

"He will marry me!" the toad exclaimed proudly.

Shiro had had enough, of everyone, of Sendak who had him kidnapped, of Lotor who had humiliated and teased him, of Sanda who didn't care about his well-being, of Curtis who only wanted him because he was handsome and good at singing.

"No i will not!" he threw his bouquet on the ground, his patience now exhausted "I won't marry anyone, I'm going home!"

He turned around on the blade of the sword, and strode towards the exit of the tunnel.

"Stop!" Sendak grabbed him by the arm, but Shiro had had enough and without hesitation he kicked him straight on the shin, making him loosen his grip and for good measure, he started running. Outside the church passage, Lotor was waiting for developments, eager to get his wings back. When Shiro passed him without paying a glance, Lotor ran after him grabbing the wedding veil.

"Toots, why are you in such a hurry?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"I'm not your toots!" he took off the veil and with a right hook aimed at Lotor's nose, he made him fly backwards with it and started running again, heedless of the cobwebs, of all the treasures he passed, of the sharp rocks that tore apart his too bulky clothes, he didn't even notice Keith, finally free, who together with his friends had reached the tunnel. He just wanted to GO AWAY, go home.

"Shiro!" Keith tried in vain to call him, there were more important problems to deal with at that moment "Stop everyone!" Keith threw himself in front of all the pursuers who wanted to stop Shiro, first of all Sendak himself who took one of the torches on the wall and began to threaten Keith with it, forcing the prince to extract his blade to fight. 

The distraction allowed the rest of the pursuers to continue chasing Shiro however, who was stuck on a ladder made of gold coins and other precious treasures. He could hear Curtis and Sanda's screams but he would never give up his freedom, not when he felt the hot sun beating on his skin. He didn't hesitate for a moment to cause a landslide of those jewels, gaining enough time to finally emerge, at the end of winter, on the surface.

"The sun!" Shiro exclaimed, breathless "The sun is shining again!" Regardless of the state he was in, his clothes in tatters and covered in dust and cuts, Shiro was at peace.

"You seem to have had a bad moment" Matt landed on a nearby hill, smiling at him.

"Matt!" Shiro ran to him.

"I found it, you know? The Valley of the Fairies" he announced with unprecedented pride.

"And what's the use?" Shiro sighed, exhausted.

"You'll see, you'll see! Come, jump on and I'll take you there!" he answered, spreading his wings.

Shiro started to protest, but he didn't have the strength to, so he obeyed the request. Matt's violent thrust taking off and the intense wind were too violent for the bizarre hairstyle, which collapsed freeing the hair from the ponytails, leaving it free to float behind Shiro's shoulders.

Shiro did not spare words in telling everything that had happened since the arrival of winter, he vented all his anger and frustration and Matt seemed not to give it too much weight, busy in recognizing the reference points to reach their destination. Upon their arrival, Shiro is completely emptied of all negative feelings, apart from a deep bitterness for everything that has happened.

"Here we are," Matt exclaimed, proud again.

"This?" Shiro looked around from the branch on which Matt had settled, they were in what was a bare, completely frozen clearing "It looks like a common weed field to me"

"No! This is the Valley of the Fairies!" he repeated, almost offended "Sing Shiro, and you'll see"

"Can't you just take me home, please?" he asked, getting silence as an answer.

Shiro took a deep breath, climbing the branch to sing towards the clearing, singing those promises he and Keith had exchanged, those words that Keith had whispered to him, of their love and happiness. But it hurt, so bad.

"Matt, it's no use! Take me home," he pleaded, his heart shattered.

"Go on, go on!" he urged him.

Shiro continued, hopeless now, letting the pain take hold of him to the point that he didn't see how his voice was breaking the ice and making the nature around them bloom again.

"That's enough!" Shiro shouted "It's useless, useless! Keith is dead and will never come back!"

Keith, his voice, like a melody, rang in the air. Shiro turned and Keith was there, singing, melting the ice covering nature and that formed into Shiro's heart.

"KEITH!" Shiro ran up to him but Keith was extremely quicker to meet him.

Keith, beautiful Keith, even with that scar on his face in memory of the battle with Sendak, was there and he was alive, it was not a dream but a wonderful reality.  
"Shiro! Shiro, will you marry me?" Keith grabbed him by the waist and lifted him making him spin.

"I do" he barely had time to reply before Keith's lips were on his, in that long-desired kiss.

Their kiss was pure magic, the fulfillment of all their promises and the reward for all that suffering. Their magic restored integrity and color to Shiro's tattered clothes, making them as colorful and beautiful as Keith's smile. He noticed in the amazement on his beloved's face that his hair was slowly losing all its black in exchange for the white of the moon, accompanied by a pair of graceful silver wings on his back.

"The wings, I have wings!" he exclaimed circling in Keith's arms "I have wings too!"

All around them the world awoke and grazed in the warmth of their love, awakening the rest of the Court that had fallen asleep for the winter.

They didn't wait in the least to get married. Shiro, in his white suit floating like soft clouds, smiled at his mother who threw petals over them, happy as ever to have her baby back. Keith, elegant in his royal suit and prince's crown, hugged his husband with a look full of devotion for him. The happy couple went to that carriage organized for them by the prince's parents, but nothing could prevent Kosmo from invading the aisle and picking them up, taking them away. Shiro laughed throwing his bouquet that ended up in Matt's hands as the two flew away, headed to their personal adventure, flying towards the moonlight.

And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
